FRANCOIS Hougaard and Ryan Mills have given Worcester Warriors a much-needed injection of confidence, according to director of rugby Gary Gold.

The “world-class” duo made their long-awaited comebacks from injury last Saturday as Warriors beat Northampton Saints 30-15 at Sixways.

And Gold admitted it was no coincidence the pair’s return to action ended with Worcester picking up their first victory in the Aviva Premiership this season.

Warriors were on a run of seven straight league defeats before claiming maximum points against Saints which has also lifted them off the bottom.

“There is no way we can stand here as a group of coaches and take credit for that (performance against Northampton),” Gold said.

“The fact of the matter is we have got world-class players back who have hardly played this year and have made the difference. It’s as simple as that.

“We have been bemoaning the fact we have had injuries.

“We have got some strength in depth and some really exciting players in Jamie Shillcock and Sam Olver.

“But Francois and Ryan give you confidence as they have clear heads and been in these positions more times than the other guys.

“That’s no fault of (the likes of Jamie and Sam) as they are going to be huge for the club going forward, but (Francois and Ryan) do make a difference.”

It was only Mills’ second outing of an injury-hit campaign but he did not take long to make an impact.

The versatile back, playing at inside centre, sparked his side into life with a weaving run and deft offload for Bryce Heem’s first try before being replaced by Dean Hammond on 59 minutes.

Hougaard recovered from a groin issue sustained on international duty with South Africa to make his first appearance this term for Warriors.

The influential scrum-half, who has been key to keeping Worcester in the top flight for the past two seasons, lasted 73 minutes before making way for Michael Dowsett.

“It was a hair-raising 60 or 70 minutes with Francois and Ryan out there as they have had such a terrible run of luck with injuries,” Gold said.

“The medics were giving me a dirty look after the first five minutes, thinking ‘Why are they still on?’ “You want to give them enough game-time, but you also want to make sure that you look after them and be sensible towards their welfare.

“I hope we have done that.”

Gold added: “By his own admission Francois was a little bit rusty.

“But he is such a threat with ball in hand and quick off the base so when he runs at that defensive line it must be really difficult for the forwards.”